Leamington Music Festival 2026
The Pump Rooms and All Saints Church
THERE are many ways to get a festival started – a rousing rendition of a favourite usually does the trick. But the Leamington Musical Festival prides itself on providing the unusual and, when Fibonacci Quartet violinist Kristof Kohut opened proceedings singing unaccompanied a plaintive Moravian folk song the message was clear, expect to be surprised.
Friday’s opening arrangement of love songs set the tone for much of what the Fibonaccis then delivered. Plenty of desperately fragile moments leading to passages of almost unsustainable attack and energy all set against a pace which quickened and then quickened again.
Bartok’s String Quartet No 5, written the best part of a century ago still has the power to divide opinion. Often fractured and challenging to follow, this is tough stuff but what’s not in doubt was the passion and fervour with which the quartet tackled the task.
Schumann’s A Major Quartet No 3 brought a more settled landscape with a few more reassuring landmarks but the approach from the quartet was as intense and committed as ever. The two central movements stood out with their wide dynamic range and rich tones, but not many pages of the score go by without players struggling to stay in their seats and there’s more head-banging than any rock festival will witness this summer.
Full-on and unashamedly dramatic, this was a fine way to celebrate the weekend’s opening.
Festivals are also all about comparisons, a chance to weigh up music and the way it’s produced. A wonderful counterpoint to the youthful vigour of the Fibonaccis came with the performance on Saturday from the experienced warmth of the Guarneri Piano Trio.
Two Beethoven trios and a large helping of Dvorak were delivered with an almost casual, relaxed approach only to be expected from a trio with some forty years experience of playing together.
Unnecessary dramatics are ditched in favour of a comfort and familiarity that looks for all the world like three men who enjoy each other’s company as much as the music.
The highlight of the evening was Dvorak’s Piano Trio 4 ‘Dumky’ – a piece which, over the span of six movements, provides the opportunity to explore a constantly shifting construction of gentle moments and passages of lush romantic melody. The trio looked and sounded utterly at home in a performance to savour.
Performing comfortably together played an important part in Sunday evening’s larger orchestral concert at All Saints. The Sinfonia of Birmingham welcomed soloists Zoe Beyers (violin) and Peter Dixon (cello) for Brahms’s monumental romantic Double Concerto.
Despite spending time looking at each other across the ranks of the BBC Philharmonic this was their debut as joint soloists and the chemistry was spot-on from the start. Clearly relishing the opportunities to trade blows that Brahms offers, this was music-making at its most joyous.
Sinfonia conductor Michael Seal has in the last few years brought out the best in this orchestra and, but for a few untidy entries here and there, the quality is high in everything they do.
Nowhere was this more evident than in the closing performance of Malcolm Arnold’s engaging fifth symphony. Packed with almost cinematic melodies and plenty of drama this is a piece very much about textures.
Rich tones, stretched tension and a full cast of percussion interventions made for a good test of the Sinfonia’s precision and detail, a test the orchestra passed with ease. The second movement, a lush sweep of brass and strings may have been the highlight, but there were others in what must have been a welcome boost for Arnold’s overall popularity.
The church, in common with all the concerts in this weekend, enjoyed a good turnout. Leamington’s music festival has always been a popular fixture on the music calendar and with quality across the board and unfailingly high as this was, its reputation and support can only keep it right at the forefront of cultural events in the town.
Visit leamingtonmusic.org for details of more concerts and events in Leamington and Warwick.
